#my problem with Dale was i tried to stick too much to his design from the game | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ourmrmel · 6 years ago

Text

Mel Feller, MPA, MHR. Shares Quotes to Charge the Entrepreneurial Spirit

Mel is the President/Founder of Mel Feller Seminars with Coaching for Success 360, Inc. and Mel Feller Coaching. Mel Feller maintains offices in Texas and in Utah.

Quotes. Entrepreneurs are fascinated with them. They spark our creativity, motivate us to action, and inspire us to greatness. They offer us insights into the spirit behind innovation and genius. In addition, they act as fuel to the fire that burns deep within every true entrepreneur.

The quotes below are, in Mel Feller’s opinion, some of the best of the best. They come from authors, poets, inventors, scholars, and entrepreneurs – all legends in their own rights. So jot them down on Post-it notes and decorate your workspace. Grab red lipstick and write them in sweeping letters across your mirrors. Pick your favorite and brand it on your…palm. The right words at the right time can be paramount to your success, so do whatever it takes to keep inspiration nearby.

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” Jim Rohn, Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker

“In life and business, there are two cardinal sins: The first is to act without thought, and the second is to not act at all.” – Carl Icahn, Investor and Entrepreneur

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Poet

“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” – Richard Branson, Entrepreneur

“Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes; work never begun.” – Christina Rossetti, Author

“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” Williams Jenning Bryan, Politician and three-time Presidential candidate

“Watch, listen, and learn. You can’t know it all yourself. Anyone who thinks they do is destined for mediocrity.” – Donald Trump, Business Mogul

“High expectations are the key to everything.” – Sam Walton, Entrepreneur

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon, Entrepreneur

“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” William Butler Yeats, Poet

“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.” - Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect and Entrepreneur

“Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Alva Edison, Inventor and Entrepreneur

“If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.” – Ray Kroc, Entrepreneur

“The secret of success is constancy to purpose.” – Benjamin Disraeli, Author, Politician and Scholar

“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.” – Coco Chanel, Entrepreneur

“A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.” - David Brinkley, Newscaster

“I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.” – G. K. Chesterton, Author

“Those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try nothing and succeed.” Lloyd Jones

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan, Basketball Legend and Entrepreneur

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” - Thomas Alva Edison, Inventor and Entrepreneur

“Not doing more than the average is what keeps the average down.” - William M. Winans, Clergyman

“Six essential qualities that are the key to success: Sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom, charity.” William Menninger, Entrepreneur

“My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no one’s doing but my own. I am the force. I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice. My responsibility. Win or lose; only I hold the key to my destiny.” - Elaine Maxwell, Author

“It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd American President

“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.” - Henry Ford, Entrepreneur

“The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible — and achieve it, generation after generation.” - Pearl S. Buck, Author

“It is on our failures that we base a new and different and better success.” – Havelock Ellis, Physician and Author

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” - Goethe

“With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.” - Keshavan Nair, Author – Gandhi Biographer

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” - Anatole France, Poet

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot, Author

“Some people have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can.” Willis R. Whitney, American Chemist

“For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.” - Mary Kay Ash, Entrepreneur

“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are usually right.” -Henry Ford

“If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves” -Thomas Edison

“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” Jim Rohn

“I demolish my bridges behind me… then there is no choice but to move forward.” — Fridtjof Nansen

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” — Alan Kay

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” — Michelangelo

“Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it chased it.” — South African proverb

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney

“In my mind, I’ve always been an A-list Hollywood superstar. Y’all just didn’t know yet.” — Will Smith

“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If it’s original, you’ll have to ram it down their throats.” — Howard Aiken

“I couldn’t wait for success, so I went ahead without it.” — Jonathan Winters

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” — Albert Einstein

“There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.” — Unknown

“It’s not what you are that holds you back. It’s what you think you’re not.”

- Denis Waitley

“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”

- John F. Kennedy

“Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.” - John le Carre

This one came from a fortune cookie, but it sure is poignant: “Affirm it, visualize it, believe it, and it will actualize itself” (And if you’re curious, the “Learn Chinese” word on the back is Mian, meaning Inside.)

“Think it, write it, act on it, stick to the process; count your wins or losses and repeat the process.” This is the whole duty of an entrepreneur. – Ajaero Tony Martins

“All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

“There comes a time in every man’s life, and I’ve had plenty of them.” Casey Stengel

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve!” –Napoleon Hill

“A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.” – David Brinkley

“I demolish my bridges behind me… then there is no choice but to move forward.” — Fridtjof Nansen

“I celebrate failure – it can temper your character and pave the way for great achievement” - Kamran Elahian, Serial Entrepreneur

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” - Warren Buffett

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” — Alan Kay

“Be like a postage stamp. Stick to it until you get there.” – Bob Proctor

“A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.” – David Brinkley

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” - Dale Carnegie

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” -Henry Ford

“Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.” -Albert Einstein

“Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.” - George Bernard Shaw

“Watch, listen, and learn. You cannot know it all yourself. Anyone who thinks they do is destined for mediocrity.” – Donald Trump

“I do not fear failure. I only fear the “slowing up” of the engine inside of me which is pounding, saying, “Keep going, someone must be on top, why not you?”” -General Patton

“The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all!” – Richard Branson

“I believe you can train yourself to become a positive thinker, but you must cultivate a desire to develop the skill of setting personal worthy and realistic goals. I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When you learn to master the principle of setting a goal, you will then be able to make a great difference in the results you attain in this life.” -M. Russell Ballard

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it’s yours.”- Ayn Rand

“Quality is the best business plan.” -John Lasseter (Pixar Animation Studios Inc.)

“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.”

- Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese’s

“Innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs, the means by which they exploit change as an opportunity for a different business or a different service. It is capable of being presented as a discipline, capable of being learned, capable of being practiced. Entrepreneurs need to search purposefully for the sources of innovation, the changes and their symptoms that indicate opportunities for successful innovation. And they need to know and to apply the principles of successful innovation.”

- Peter F. Drucker, “The Father of Modern Management”

“BE the change you want to see in the world” - Mahatma Gandhi

“When you’re born the world rejoice, while you cry. Live life in such a way that when you die the world cry, while you rejoice” – Robin Sharma

“Your life is your story, what kind of character are you going to be?” - David Archuleta

“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself” - William Faulkner

“If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.” - Denis Waitley

“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can CHANGE THE WORLD. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” – Margaret Mead

“They who laugh at others with dreams have to look at themselves and realize they laugh because they’re too scared to try” -Louie Ortega

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never tasted victory or defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Mel Feller, MPA, MHR, is a well-known real estate, business consultant, personal development consultant and speaker, specializing in performance, productivity, and profits. Mel is the President/Founder of Mel Feller Seminars with Coaching For Success 360, Inc. and Mel Feller Coaching, a real estate and business specific coaching company. His three books for real estate professionals are systems on how to become an exceptional sales performer. His four books in Business and Government Grants are ways to leverage and increase your business Success in both time and money! His book on Personal Development “Lies that Will Sabotage Your Success”. Mel Feller is in Texas and In Utah. Currently an MBA Candidate.

2 notes · View notes

cutiecrates · 7 years ago

Text

Cutie Reviews: Kawaii Box September 2017

Sorry if you were waiting for this Cuties, but as of late I find it harder and harder to actually enjoy my Kawaii Box subscription and I don’t look forward to it...

As I’m sure you have noticed a lot of people have been making complaints towards the brand regarding official/not official merchandise. Now, I don’t want to believe these people because honestly- they could be bitter ex-employees or some other silly nonsense; even with provided proof. Contacting Kawaii Box is not an option either because of course they would deny it. Which is why I ultimately decided to stick with the brand and just wait until I see it for myself.

I’m not trying to say I support forgeries but I do like the box and mostly all of their products are good and seem official, and to be fair it’s also a cheap box that gives you several items in comparison to some others. We don’t have the entire story behind the supposed fake products either, so what kind of person would I be to give up on Kawaii Box because of a few unhappy customers?

With that said, let’s just get into this. I hope you enjoy and keep in mind that I am not someone worth flaming or harassing because I remain with this box. If you don’t like it that’s fine, but please keep me out of it.

Since it’s reveal, Ufufy products from Disney have been increasing like crazy. But why wouldn’t they? With their soft, dreamy pastels and plush quality~

So basically, this is a Disney Ufufy Plushie with an adorable zippered seam on top to store little items. I got Dale, who I admit isn’t my top choice from this line, but he is my favorite between Chip & Dale. He’s full of a spongy-like cotton and has a small, felt and plastic acorn ornament hanging from his zipper.

If I really had to complain, I would say that he seems to be missing a chain of some sort. Usually these types of ornamental plush have them, but this one doesn’t. Sure, you could easily get one to put on them if you really wanted to- but I just found it unusual.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

(Do you like my new rating scale? I feel it’s a bit more fun than just numbers, but the highest score will still be a 5.)

Next is this... actually kinda bland but still cute Unicorn Squishy Charm. It’s exactly the same as the Kaomoji and Tofu squishy’s I got in prior boxes- but in this unicorn shape. It’s not a slow riser, but it is very soft; which I actually value more over the rising speed.

Rating: ♥

Honestly, the fact that it’s a little cute and ultra-soft are the only good things about it. I’m sure you can tell, but look at this paint job! It’s very boring and not even all that accurate. A lot of the mane is white and the horn has a lot of uncolored spots (which you can’t see from this angle). Not only that but the cut of this squishy has a lot of remnant.

Later, while checking the online shop for this particular squishy I also found out that not only is this how it is SOLD, but there is a supposed watermelon candy scent. But I assure you mine smells like soybean flour, like the other ones, despite having no contact with them at all.

The eyes are lovely and I haven’t had any problems with that thankfully. But this squishy is too much of a mess to be saved by cute eyes and softness.

Next are some cute little deco items, including a Korean Diary Deco Sticker sheet, and a Washi Masking Tape Set.

First up, stickers :D These are so tiny and precious (look at the third row, tiny adorable candy jars ♥). They are suggested for use in a diary but the back also shows some other places where you could use them- like on notes, envelopes, and other things begging to be spiced up.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

They’re so tiny that I’d worry about losing them before I could even apply them. I do like the gimmick behind them but I wish they could be a little bit bigger. Not only that but a few of them are kind of crude; I really don’t need stickers of a man tinkling. They’re also super hard to peel off (coming from a girl with long nails). But at the same time I do love the variety of emotions and sayings they could convey, and I like that they have a translucent background.

Next is the Washi Masking Tape. Since I didn’t have the time to actually demonstrate what it looks like I took the picture from the back of the box.

Both rolls are fairly simple, featuring muted colors and random items and objects on the blue roll, while the white has large bunny designed candies.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

While I’m not a huge fan of the design or style, I also think it’s pretty cute and the tape itself is a really nice quality in comparison to past tapes I have had. It’s a lot harder to tear and feels much more sturdy, in comparison to the flimsier previous tapes.

(On a side note, I also like the peep window on the side of the box.)

Next are some kawaii little Fairy Tale Hair Pins/(clips). This is a sweet little set of three hair accessories featuring a pink scheme and a solid, plastic girl on the side.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

As cute as these are, I actually did have an issue with them... The plastic girl pieces were extremely loose and flimsy, in fact 2 of them popped off! With some strong glue I had I was able to fix it, but it’s still a bit frustrating. If one hadn’t popped off during the photography session, I would have probably lost them when I wore them out of the house like I was planning to the next day.

Now this is one of the BEST things you can have for daily school or work, or pretty much any life outside of the house, a Kawaii Hand Sanitizer Bottle. As soon as I saw this it made me think of something you would find at Claire’s or some other trend happy store in the mall. The colors are bold and vibrant, and the product is made from a rubbery plastic so you can swap the bottle out, or just remove the cap to add product by hand.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Now, I don’t exactly love the product; but I think it’s pretty cute and I like how easy it is to maneuver. I also like the thought, considering you know, germs and all. However I probably won’t be using it because as of last November; I hopped onto the bath and body works Pocketbac hype train!

I’ve been collecting those Cuties for almost a year now :3 I’m psyched to celebrate my anniversary next month with my recent affair ♥

Buttttt I could always fill this up with some product if I really wanted to use it, or if I wanted to gift someone with something. This would be perfect with a vanilla or berry scent~

As usual, Kawaii Box likes to offer us something sweet, and this month we got this adorable Happy Nikukyu Cat/Dog Paw Gummies. I prefer cats, but I actually did have an orange & grape flavored cat set before; so this was kind of fun. Look at the pudgy puppy~

Essentially if you tried one set you tried them all. The paw shape and quality is the same on each style/type, but this one features a lovely peach flavor~

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ 1/2

These aren’t the worst gummies I’ve had by far. They’re adorable and squishy-soft, but the problem bothering me is the texture left in my mouth after I eat one, from the white powdery coating they put on them. Not only that, but even though this isn’t set to expire until February 2018... they taste like peaches with a tiny hint of barf/old candy.

I’ve had other peach candy before lacking that “interesting after-taste”, so... yeah. They’re not bad, but it’s a bit... weird.

Another ultra-cute item for school, work, or just your desk: the Little Animals Stationary Set!

(Btw I was not trying to rhyme just now.)

You pretty much get it and more with this set :3 a pencil pouch, a led pencil, two double-sided pencils, a pencil sharpener, a 15cm ruler, and a little eraser (with an even smaller slot to write your name).

Ranking: ♥ ♥ ♥

It’s very sweet and cute, but like the other items in this particular box- it has some issues. First off, the double-sided pencils are hard to remove from the pouch! Like seriously, it’s a flimsy pouch and I’m afraid I’ll break it trying to take them out. Not only that but none of the pencils have an eraser; you only get this one little (very cute) thing. I admit it works like MAGIC, but it is too small to last very long- unless you’re the type to rarely ever need an eraser maybe.

(I was not one of those types at all, so I carried a LOT of erasers to play it safe)

This is another adorable storage unit, featuring everyone’s favorite: HELLO KITTY ♥ This is a Hello Kitty Tin Pencil Case, featuring this lovely motif on the lid and the “shelf” inside of the container, which has a times table on it. The inside (which I couldn’t picture) features a pink and white hello kitty design on a diamond tile background.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

It’s pink, it’s Hello Kitty, it’s especially hand to help me store pencils/pens/school items I get from these crates, I love it!

Lastly is this Uranaikko Colored Pencils set. These little wooden pencils are great for bringing with you to wherever you could possibly need some color in your life; like at school, work, or to occupy a child for ten minutes :D

As you can kinda see, they also come with a built-in pencil sharpener (which works very well, I did test it out). Despite their small size they’re not awkward to hold either. I also found myself oddly entertained by the sounds they make when you shake the container around ♥ Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ They’re adorable! I love to draw/color with them. The only downside is that because of their small size they clearly won’t last too long if you use them a lot...

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 3 out of 5. Essentially almost everything got a middle rating, but I didn’t hate anything; even the 1 or 2 items I wasn’t overwhelmingly in love with I still liked to some extent.

Quality - 2 out of 5. The reason the rank is so low for this is because the items I had fault with wasn’t out of preference, but due to actual legitimate issues- like messy paint or quality, cheap details, etc. Usually it’s never this bad.

Theme - 5 out of 5. Compared to usual, this one actually conveyed a well, thought out theme to me :D it’s very school/work oriented, and provides several items perfect for September, when most people start school or are still working. I’m actually very happy with it!

Total Rank: 10 out of 15 Cuties. Honestly, the fact that nearly everything matches the apparent theme and that I essentially did like enough to consider it a non-failure box. Had I not liked much in it- I definitely would have given this a lower score.

♥ Cutie Scale ♥

1. Fairy Tale Hair Clips - Even if I had a little difficulty with them and had to repair them before I used them... they’re so cute!!

2. Stationery Set - Everything is covered with cute characters!

3. Hello Kitty Pencil Tin - It’s covered in designs; and pinkness :D

4. Dale Ufufy Plush - General Ufufy cuteness mixed with Dale’s natural charm~

5. Stickers - They’re so cute and tiny~

6. Dog Paw Gummies - Nothing new, bu they’re squishy-soft and the puppy on the package is so cute. I wanna tickle his tummy~

7. Ice Cream Sanitizer Holder - It’s fairly generic looking to me. I like colors but I kinda prefer them in softer shades; this one feels like a headache.

8. Colored Pencils - They’re simple little wooden sticks with color, but they’re small and precious~

9. Unicorn Squishy - Generic cuteness; but the fact it has so many flaws keeps it low scoring.

10. Washi tape - It was cute but no entirely in the way I like.

Okay! So that does it for everyone review x3 it took me longer than usual- but it’s probably because I was out of practice. I’m so excited because any day now I’ll be getting my Tokyo Treat box, and because my birthday is on Sunday! I have 3 of October’s crates so far, and I did do my DIY from last months TT box so I’ll probably be covering that review next. Until next time, say cute!

#kawaii box #kawaiibox #hello kitty #pencils #ufufy #Disney #happy nikukyu #gummies #kawaii #deco #squishy #unicorn #washi

2 notes · View notes

awriterstransition · 7 years ago

Text

Contracts and Demands Part 5

If you find any of the sections of stories I write interesting, I’ve tagged every story with “Isen” so if you search for Isen’s name you get every part I wrote. If you have any questions about my stories, or want to tell me anything, go ahead and send me a message.

Contracts and Demands Part 5

I woke up to my alarm clock as usual, and groaned feeling my face I was dead tired, and I had only slept for three hours. Thankfully I didn’t have to go into work today so I was able to relax in bed, and I quickly and happily curled up in my pillow knowing I didn’t have to move from my spot. I was just about to drift off again when the bell to my room jingled and I looked up to see Raven looking down at me, he looked perfectly fine, and very naked, he walked towards me, with his arms crossed. “Raven please go away, not right now.” I protested weakly because I didn’t have the energy to deal with him right now. “Master Dale we need to talk about the ball, how did it go?” He asked picking me up out of bed by the back of my vest, and sitting me upright. “Raven… Seriously?” “This is the first time I haven’t attend the ball, I want to know how it went. You have to tell me everything.” “If I cook dinner will you leave me alone?” I asked groaning, rubbing my eyes to remove their dreariness. “No sir.” I looked up at him and fell back into bed. “Fine.” I protested pulling the blade from my hip and leaning it up against the side table. With a deep breath laying on the pillow I started to tell Raven everything that had happed. Though by the time I stopped talking, Ria stumbled half-dressed and smelling of sex. “Woah, those slaves know how to party. Gods I can’t believe I never tried it before.” She groaned leaning on the wall looking at me. I sighed and snapped my fingers and my desk chair came towards her and she sat down, with my magic I simply pulled her near. At this point I was awake enough to sit up, and crossed my legs on the bed as I restarted the story so she could listen to me. Healing her hangover as I talked and some of the sexual injuries she had gained from the night before. By the time I finally ended the story they both looked at me rather unhappily. “You should have kept that female by your side.” Raven simply stated looking down scolding me partially. “And you should have wandered around the ball room and got yourself acquainted with many other nobles. You need to spread out, if you don’t earn the respect of other nobles you won’t hold your position in the court for very long.” Ria added and Raven nodded in agreement. “I hate these kind of things, there annoying and just full of manipulation, and lies. That female was just wanting to be around me because she wanted to marry into my name.” I countered stiffly and Raven groaned and pushed back his ears. “It doesn’t matter what you think of what she was trying to do you, you should have stayed with her, and she may have introduced you to others. You are a stranger very few know anything about they’re going to weary of someone that has no history. You have to show them your better side and allow the nobles to get comfortable around you, or else no one will do business with you. Think about it as trying to get a loan from a bank, you make many small loans you pay back promptly allowing the bank to get comfortable with you, and then you can start taking large loans. Think of every small loan as an interaction, when you pay it back promptly, think of that as a good interaction, that earns you respect with the nobles as a whole. It doesn’t matter if you fail every now and then as long as you are seen as a good and fair noble among the others. When you get in there good graces that is when you can start asking things from them, and they’ll agree to do things for you, because they know your word is fair and they trust you. It’s not about whether you like that noble or not, it’s about if you are able to interact with the properly. Right now to the nobles you are a mystery they aren’t sure to trust or despise you, you are a wild card, that could ruin them or make things better for them, so nobles are going to test you now.” “That means?” I asked understanding the bank styled explanation, rather surprised by Raven’s input because I didn’t take him to be a political figure, he seemed more like a back ground figure. “Good and Bad things, rumors, shunning, tasks and forced interactions. How you handle each one will determine if the nobles will respect you enough to trust you, or leave you by the wayside. You need their support so right now, this is the true political game. You can’t trust anyone, anyone could be working with a noble to collect information on you. So be careful what you say and how you interact with those around you. You need to keep your secrets tucked close to your chest, and a dagger tucked in your belt.” Raven explained with a very ominous tone that forced me to pay close attention to his words. “Then what should I do?” “Live your life as you normally would, but play things a bit close to the vest, but try not to be too secretive, you want to keep their eyes on you.” Ria explained and I raised my eyebrow looking at her. “And how would you know anything about this?” “I’m Night Watch, political games are what we have to deal with for a living, even in the military. But I think you should try and participate in the Arena?” “Why would I do that?” “Mincridarins are always looking for strong mates, even friends, if you can prove yourself to be strong and powerful. The nobles will want to interact with you, because with power comes respect.” “You know I was half expecting you to say reasonability.” I added and Ria looked at me confused but before she could say anything else I shifted the answer. “But I’ve heard you kill in the Arena?” “Depends on the tournament, if it’s a city wide competition, killing is forbidden, you can maim but if you severely wound, or kill, you are punished by the full extent of the law.” Ria explained firmly before sitting back in her chair. “But why do I want political power? I just came here to live and make a life for myself, not become a part of some kind of political agenda.” “Sure, but think about it like this, imagine being denied everywhere for no apparent reason, and just ignored every single day of your life until you die?” Raven simply explained and his words were so simple and intense I quickly understood the need, and just groaned falling back on the bed. “Fine, I’ll do my best to play the game.” “Good now first things first is you need to push the boundaries a little, impose a hold on someone else’s territory, just a small portion, just enough to get their attention. We Ravens have always dominated the slave Market so something else would be best for you, in order for you to stick out and show a change in leadership.” “How about residential building, you’d be surprised how many properties we have around the city. I have recorded lists of properties that the Raven family still owns even after hundreds of years, and pictures of maps of the city and where Raven properties are.” I explained and Raven smiled. “That’d be perfect, no one likes being kicked out of their house. But if you can prove ownership even after so long you can pull the rug out from under their paws, and that will ruffle some noble’s feathers.” “I’m thinking renovation, most of the properties are in trees that are referred to as the back woods, I’m guessing there are plenty problems in that area so if we improve the land value of some of the houses, that’ll catch some people’s eyes… For my books I’ve always had to come up with floor plans for houses and I have a program on my computer that can help me create designs and layouts. It just getting the permits to allow such renovations.” I explained looking at Raven since he seemed to understand what to do and play the political game. “Permits?” Raven simply asked looking down at me. “You know things that say you can build something because it goes against regulation?” “Isen if you own a property you only need it to be within those simple regulations, what you do with the property beyond that is up to you.” Raven explained and that left me kind of surprised, but I didn’t debate it much, because the lack of oversight would make these things quick and easy. “Ok but I need to sleep, I’m not going to able to function like this, when I go to the Archives I’ll choose some locations from the Maps that’ll go way back, back enough to piss people off, that way they’ll talk about it, but when they see what I’ve done they’ll be surprised about it, and talk about what I’ve done. But I need a lawyer to make sure the properties I look are still legitimate, two I need see the regulations required to build, three I’ll need time to come with plans because I’m probably going to be the one building the houses with magic. Thank the gods Lynn trained me so rigorously in manipulation, I just hope I still got that touch, it’s been ages since I’ve last done anything with wood. I’ll also need some protection in case things go sideways, so some proper guards would do nicely. Ria can you do that?” I explained giving out my orders. “That’ll be easy. I know a few guards that wouldn’t mind a few more leafs in their pockets. You’ll just have to pay them up front first.” “Fine, just have Raven pull the money out for you. Now can you two both let me sleep?” I asked and they both looked at me and simply nodded, and left the room. Ria closed the door as she left the room. I woke up hours later and took a bath and got dressed in fine red vest and black pants. I pulled the laptop bag over my shoulder and left for the Archives alone. The two slaves I would have taken were passed out on the floor one on top of the other. Cock still inside the other’s ass. It was an amusing enough sight that I had to take a pictures, to embarrass them later. I worked on the ledger but most of my work was dedicated on the previous land holdings marked down in the ledgers, contracts which I pulled from thick leather bound binders, and reviewing the maps of the city. I asked the Grand Archivist if I could see an up to date map of the city, he agreed understanding the need. Based upon the ancient maps I had of the city, The Capital City Tarva had grown nearly twice as big, but that didn’t mean the property I still owned wasn’t gone. Just for my personal record I took a picture of the maps, before I returned the city map to the Grand Archivist, yelling my thanks because anything else he couldn’t hear. Sometimes I had yelled so much at him that my throat had gotten sore, though when I couldn’t stand the ledgers anymore, I cleaned up the table and packed up everything I needed, and left the Archives. When I got back to the brothel I had noticed some pretty pathetic tailers following behind me. They were terrible as suppressing their presence and blending in, they were painfully obvious it was like a scene in an action comedy. I took pity on them and just did nothing, because they were trying really hard, and I could tell, but they just gave everything away. They looked away when I looked at them, they hide behind people and things, and at points they were just talking to each other in order to blend in. I eventually made my way upstairs of the brothel, the two large guards standing out front greeting me as I passed by them. Dropped my things and sighed starting to unpack, but I stopped when Raven came and collected me, he had already found a lawyer; so he lead me the Lawyer who was enjoying some drinks and sitting downstairs in the brothel. I gathered everything I had and brought it down. The lawyer reviewed the land holdings, and contracts. Out of the twelve I had brought him only one was seen as invalid, because of the fact that the contract was far too old to review properly, and because of a discrepancy in the contract that released the property back to the slave’s family if the slave had died in training, which in the contract was plainly stated. Also one thing to note was that I should be getting paid some minor tax by the families that still owned the homes for the simple fact that I owned their home. He also explained I could regulate who lived in my homes, and shift the tax on the house as much as I liked within the regulated standards. But if I wanted to shift the tax around I would have to fill out the paper work. Which the lawyer stated I should do regardless because I was getting no returns on the properties as of right now, because of the fact that some properties were so old, the contract and who actually owned the property was forgotten, so the paperwork would merely reawaken the tax and put it back into play. The lawyer finished by explaining that the regulations and building codes that I needed to follow, and provided a list of requirements that I had to obey or I could be penalized. The requirements were vague and utterly simple, locks on doors, windows, sleeping space, and kitchen of some kind, owning a bathroom wasn’t even mentioned. That personally made me feel sick, and I was going to make sure that these houses had a proper bathroom. So when the Lawyer left after being paid for his service I told Raven to find me a builder, I’d need an assistant who knew what he was doing if I wanted to create some of the things I had in mind. Raven nodded and left leaving me alone with my computer where I was already starting to come up with ideas for the buildings. Ria returned with three guards from the Barracks that were available for the next few days, they were paid fifty brass leaves up front, each of the three would get a single copper leaf once done, on agreement. We set up a time in the morning to meet in front of brothel and they left to go on their way. Raven returned with a single meek looking rat, an earth mage who specialized in building. He sat down and was brought a drink and we talked about how to manipulate the wood and how to build with it and how to build a bathroom most of all. When I showed him what I planned to do he spat up his drink in surprise, and looked at me in utter confusion wondering if I mentally stable, asking why I would do so much for those lowlife’s. I would have knocked the rat on his ass, but I held back. I hated his words just because they were so degrading to other citizens. I was a mage capable of making a home for nearly no cost out of pocket, making a families life better, and just trying to be charitable made me insane, that very concept was infuriating. Raven was perceived my anger and he had the rat escorted out by two slaves, though with how to build things out of the way I closed my laptop, everything was in place. We merely just needed to act. And after a good night’s rest act we did, I woke up just before the leaves started shifting from green to the summer sun yellow. The first thing I took note of was the smell when we neared the Back Woods, it was revolting and rank, I was sure I would lose my sense of my smell if I stuck around too long. The citizens in the Back Woods you could tell were leaf-less or nearly had nothing to their name. Their bodies were clean but their closes were old and torn. When we came to the house I thought might make the most impact. I knocked on the door, until I got an angered response from a male. When the door was unlocked and got jammed on the floor, the male slammed open. I looked up into the face of an angered and tired reptile, his slit eyes glared down at me and his large body was naked. “What in the gods names do you want?!” “I’ve come to tell you I own your house?” The anger in his eyes only grew more intense and he crossed his arms in front me and looked down at me. “I own this house, it took me years to buy it from the damn city.” “Actually sir, it was never owned by the city.” I said and he looked at me confused but still very much angry and soon enough a tall slender female came into view and looked at me and then the guards. “What’s going on?” She asked worry only in her voice and her mate turned to her and quickly took hold of her shoulder. “It’s nothing, don’t worry scales over these idiots. They were just leaving.” “I’m sorry but your still seem a little confused I said I own your house, it was never owned by the city. It was given up when a Male going by the name Sithen, when couldn’t pay his debts. The house belongs to the Raven family.” “My Grand Father, but he died years ago?” The female quickly protested, and soon enough a few small hatchlings called out from the back of the room. “Your Grandfather Miss, never was married when he became a slave, so when he signed the contract giving up all he owned to the Raven family, this home wasn’t co owned by any other person or mate. So this house, he owned all by himself, so when he signed the contract he lost this house as well. Even if your grandfather died the property never went back to the city, and he couldn’t give it to anyone. The Ravens own your home I can show you all the paper work if you want.” I explained and the females and males face looked down at me with a mix of depressed emotions, but the male tensed up and confronted me grabbing my vest and pulling me closer, but a blade soon came to his throat, and he let me go. “We aren’t leaving?” The protested angrily still very much standing his ground. “Sir you misunderstand I never said you had to leave, I’m just merely stating I own your home, and as such I can do with the property as I want. I’m not here to drag you out, I’m here to improve your home free of charge.” The look on their faces were of sheer shock and the made seemed unsure of how to respond. “What’s the catch?” He asked glaring down at me after a moment regaining his own composure. “The Raven name is under new ownership. I personally own the Raven name. Pleased to meet you my name is Isen dale the owner of the Raven name.” I simply stated with a simple bow, greeting the male. “My actions are simply to be charitable, and improve the tarnished Raven name. But if you don’t want me to be here I can walk away. I have many other homes I have to get too.” I explained simply starting to shift away, but this comment caught the male off guard, but he settled down soon enough. “Wait sir. I’m sorry for lashing out at you, I’ve spent years trying to earn the leafs required to pay for this home, what would happen after your done? I won’t turn down your charity but I don’t want to let a demon walk through the door.” The Phrase was strange but the simple explanation was that he didn’t want to be scammed; smart guy. “I can give you two options sir, I’m willing to sign over the ownership of this home directly to you free of charge, no strings attached, or you can pay me a small tax, and allow me to remain the owner. If you do that though, if anything breaks or gets damaged, it’s my reasonability as the landlord to make sure it’s repaired or taken care of properly. In short you’ll be paying me rent.” The reptile felt his neck and looked at his mate, who was keeping her hatchlings close by her side. “Can we wait to see what you do with our home before we agree to anything else?” “Of course sir.” I simply agreed and the reptile nodded. “What do we need to do?” “Merely clean your home, and bring anything that isn’t part of the tree out, my guards will make sure your belongings remain safe, so if you need to go to work, or anything you may go and do that.” I explained and he looked at me curiously and then at the guards. “How can I trust you with my things?” “Sir, I’m trying to improve the Raven name, I don’t want to make things worse for the Raven name. If I say we’ll protect your things, we’ll protect your things. If we are incapable of doing that I will be sure you are repaid properly.” I explained and he nodded and looked at his mate. “Just stay with the hatchlings today, and watching our things.” The male explained and the female nodded and the male sighed. “Alright do what you want sir, I have to go to work I’ll be back before the leaves turn green.” “I hope you have a good day at work, but sir shouldn’t you put on clothes?” I asked and the reptile looked down at me and sighed. “It doesn’t matter where I work, just try not to break anything.” He finished softly before going to his mate and kissing her lightly, kissing the hatchlings and left saying goodbye, walking the streets with nothing on, not even underwear. “I’ll get the house cleaned sir, it’ll be a bit.” I nodded and the female closed the door and walked away, I looked at my guards who were quiet and started a basic conversation with them, while trying not to breathe too deeply. Eventually late in the morning the things were brought out in small crates and chests, the mother sat with her Hatchlings on her lap sitting on the largest chest watching me closely. The guards stood nearby the female because some Mincridarins were growing curious for than one reason. I stepped inside the home and was quickly noticed the smell, it was apparent the place needed a proper cleaning, the wood was deeply worn down. The stairs creaked when I upstairs to view the beds. The wood was splintery and I had to pull a small splinter from my hand when the splinter lodged it’s self in place, as I was walking up the stairs tracing my hand over the railing. Eventually the ideas started to flow and I had a plan of what things would look like. So I went to the front door and closed it, jamming it closed before stretching out my body. I pulled out my wand from the holster under my pant leg, and took a deep breath. “Hatchlings have you ever seen a master mage before?” They shook their head and I smiled. “Well I’m not one but I’ll be sure to make your home very pretty.” I simply stated and they gave a small laugh, and when their laugh stopped I grew tense and slowed my breath, I visualized the end product in my head, the details of everything I wanted done, just as Lynn had trained me to do. “Don.” I said deeply as I expressed my magic, my body shooting out a powerful gray aura that I quickly focused into the tip of the wand, which I lightly placed on the door. From the tip of the wand, waves of gray light rippled across the trunk of the tree until it struck predetermined edges. I closed my eyes and as magic took shape I perceived I was inside the home building, it as if I was building it in a computer program, shifting around shapes manipulating the wood and bending it to my will. Step by step, room by room I moved through the home remodeling everything. I don’t know how long I had been standing there in front of the door way, it was almost like a trance, but when I was truly done I tapped the door and sighed, magical exhaustion hitting me like a brick, it was bearable though, and I shifted inside the door and closed it. I finished with some simple finale touches, I warded the doors and windows, not like my room but with basic protection runes and charms to keep evil spirits at bay. I shifted outside when I finished the last window and settled down on a crate nearby. “Probably won’t recognize your home.” I joked looking at the female, and simply gestured for her to go inside with my wand as I regained myself. I may have expressed too much magic, but that was something to remember next time. The female looked at me unsure, but when I gesture for her to go again she didn’t resist and she stood up and went to the doors. She merely pushed open the door and I think her mind did a full restart, because she just stood there utterly shocked the hatchlings getting excited and running about. “BY the Gods…. What have you done to our house?” She asked looking back at me, tears coming to her eyes as she wiping her scales clean. I smiled and at this point waved my wand at the containers they brought outside. “Step aside hatchlings I don’t want you to get hurt.” I simply stated and I shifted the containers inside placing them were the female mother asked me too, but when I was done the hatchlings had finished their tour of the whole house. When I finished placing the largest trunk I felt the female wrap her arms around me, she hugged me tightly. “Thank you, this is beautiful. I never thought I would ever live in a home so nice.” “Miss let me show you some of the special things I’ve done.” I explained taking the female back downstairs the cubs hugging me happily as well, just asking me questions and being playful, the mother hushed them and she looked at me. I shut the front door and. “Every single door and window on your home is warded with spells that will keep pesky spirits out of your home, I’m sure if that is a problem but it’s just for a simple little addition, but the most important thing is this sliding bolt.” I explained grabbing a knob and closing a large thick panel in front of the door which in a simple way locked the door. I proved this by trying to open it. I then undid the bolt and opened the door. “Also your door doesn’t get jammed anymore. Noticed that problem personally.” “I realigned kitchen cabinets so they aren’t slanted. Smoothed down all of your furniture and gave is softer curves so it wasn’t so sharp and uncomfortable. The circles on the wall were just something I saw on earth, it’s called modern art, it’s very simple and I made them large enough so if you wanted to hang up anything in them you could do that as well. I purified your crystal lights and recharged them, so they won’t be as dim as they were before, which is why it’s so bright in here.” I explained and the female just looked around to where I pointed and then I pointed to a door under the stairs. “That right there is a personal bathroom, with a proper toilet and wash tub in case you want to wash clothes or yourselves.” I explained and the female looked at me stunned and confused. “A bathroom?” The female questioned and she went to the door and opened it and smiled happily, she nearly started crying. “We had to use pots and take them out in the morning to a dump the mess out… This is wonderful, thank you. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.” The mother cried and I simply pointed upstairs. “I added something you might like upstairs.” “What you have done is enough? What more could you do?” The Female asked just stunned with happiness as she followed me upstairs. “I’m sure some nights you just want privacy, so I made these for you. Their sliding accordion wall dividers.” I explained and simply showed how they worked and soon enough the parents side of the bedroom was utterly closed off. I then tapped the closed surface. “Also when your inside I put runes on each of the panels which will make anyone outside, where we are unable to hear what’s going on inside there.” I explained and it took a moment for the female to understand my meaning, but when she did a bright look came to her eyes, and she just smiled. I then pulled away the walls and then showed a simple closet inside the wall with shutter doors. “Finally, I know you don’t want your clothes stolen and you want to wash them, and since you can wash your clothes inside your house. I made these poles so you can hang up your clothes inside.” I explained as I picked up two fairly thick rods and slid them into the wall above not too far above my head. I then pulled them out and put them to the side. “I hope you enjoy your new home, if you have any questions. I’m sure you know where The Spotted Kings Brothel is? Simply talk to one of the many slaves and they’ll relay the message to me. But Please understand I don’t want to come out here often so try not to break anything, if you do I will charge you small fee to repair it… But that’s of course if you don’t want to own the house entirely for yourselves.” I explained and the female nodded in understanding. “Well I’m off, when you come up with your decision to keep the house or accept me as your land lord, I will be at the Spotted Kings Brothel.” I finished and simply started to say goodbye to the female and she hugged me, thanking me, the hatchlings did as well they wished me well and they closed the door. I walked home with guards, who were served lunch and drinks before leaving me alone since I was done for the day.

#Raven/Isen #Part 52

1 note · View note